What Lies Within
by Tiva Shaye
Summary: Toby's mother was murdered; A knows that. But if Toby agreed to cut all ties from A will he ever have closure? Will he ever find the answer he's looking for? When help comes from an unlikely source, Toby is faced with a decision. He can either look for answers or stay in the shadows. With the girls by his side, he will take the journey. But will this be for better or for worse?


_**The Calm Before the Storm**_

They say that good things take time; but what about bad things? Do they slowly manifest or are they sudden? Sometimes we don't know which is better. To sit and watch, to wait as a loved one grows ill; to wait for them to be out of their misery but to hope for just one more day to spend alongside them. Or is it better for the Band-Aid to be ripped off- quick and painless right? No, that is just something we tell ourselves in order to move forward and be "brave." But what is to be brave? Could our view of bravery be the coward's way out? To go through life so quickly, never looking back, to never feel the pain, is that not the definition of cowardness? For to never feel is to never truly live; to never feel pain is to never feel happiness. One cannot exist without the other for in order to feel, one must feel everything from joy to rage to grief. So should we allow ourselves to feel bruised and broken, battered and beaten? If there is hope for a brighter day should we acknowledge this period in our lives and move on? The answer seems simple; yes we should just hope for the sun to come out tomorrow. But you know what they say about hope: it breads eternal misery.

* * *

Toby inwardly smiled: this was it. This was the sound he longed to hear even when he had just heard it moments before. A laugh that filled his heart with love and could make him cry tears of joy. _Her _laugh. But it wasn't just the mirth spilling past her lips; it was the fact that she was happy and full of life. The fact that she was no longer the desolate, lost soul in Radley. She had a gleam in her eye and a hand on her hip, shaking her head at him. And he couldn't help but smile knowing that he had been the one to light up her face. It had felt like years since the two had just laughed; had just let their guards down and relaxed. A millennium since their conversations hadn't revolved around A or Marion or betrayal.

"Bio nerd? Really? That's the best you can do?" Spencer retorted between chuckles, trying to regain her breath.

"Well, I guess I could do better…" Toby turned his head from side to side, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh really?" Spencer placed her other hand on her hip as well. "Prove it," she challenged. And within seconds his lips came crashing onto hers, his fingers weaving their way throughout her chocolate locks. Almost instantaneously, Spencer's hands moved to cradle Toby's face, brushing her thumbs back and forth across his cheeks.

"Does that…answer…your question?" Toby paused as he began to leave a trail of kisses down her neck, stopping at her collarbone. With the pressure there, Spencer was sure to moan and as she did, she tilted her head back further to give him more access. All thoughts, all questions aside, Spencer breathed out a 'yes.' This was perfection- not straight A's, not her parent's approval, but her and him. The two of them were meant to be and nothing would ever change that.

"Come here," Spencer whispered after what felt like an eternity and a second at the same time. She wanted his lips on hers where they belonged. No, she needed them. And as their rosy lips locked, Spencer and Toby could not think of a better way to spend the afternoon. Held in each other's arms was where they wanted to be.

Before long, Spencer was tugging on Toby's shirt, willing it to glide over his head. Willingly obliging, Toby shed his grey tee and pulled the love of his life even closer, if that was even possible. They just couldn't seem to get enough. "Get a room!"

The two jumped apart, knocking heads in the process. Toby's cheeks were flushed and his eyes still held that longing; Spencer's cheeks were beet red- caught in the act so to say. "Wow, you weren't kidding about those abs!"

"Hanna!" Spencer squealed, covering her face with her palms.

"I'm just saying, maybe they _should _get a room." Hanna jumped to cradle her left shoulder. "Ow! What the hell Aria?" Aria merely shrugged her shoulders. "Strong punch…" Hanna muttered.

"You're little, but you're big," Spencer shook her head slightly as she walked over to grab Toby's shirt which had been thrown over the glass coffee table. Picking up the soft piece of fabric, Spencer walked back over to Toby and placed it in his hands, a bit reluctant to let it go. Taking the shirt willingly, having been the victim of enough staring, Toby slid the material over his head and turned around to face their company.

"What's up?" Toby asked as he pulled Spencer into his embrace. He held her, at his right side, his arm looped around her shoulder.

"Well if you two weren't so cozy, maybe you would have remembered," Aria said with a teasing smirk gracing her features. Toby and Spencer looked blankly at one another, then back to the girls. What were they missing?

"I don't know…" Spencer said aloud, scratching behind her ear.

"Something Spencer Hastings doesn't know? Interesting," Emily joked, a knowing gleam in her eyes.

"It's not that interesting," Spencer stated, relishing in the memory. "Am I finished with _your _homework?" she laughed slightly.

"Yes; you are," Emily chuckled and Spencer squeezed Toby a little tighter.

"What? Did we miss something?" Aria found her way back into the conversation as Hanna and Toby simply nodded in regards to her question.

"Genetic modification, Toby, artificial selection, he's different. You know, just homework and boys," Emily enjoyed being vague. As they continued to stare in confusion Emily and Spencer linked arms and walked away laughing- some things would also bring a smile to their faces.

"Oh." After a few seconds, Aria and Toby came to a realization at the same time. "That's so sweet," Aria cooed.

The two walked out to catch up with the girls, leaving Hanna to just stare at the ceiling. "Do you know?" She asked no one in particular. "I didn't think so," Hanna made her exit, running, "You guys have some explaining to do!"

* * *

Piling out of Spencer's SUV, the girls led the way into Dr. Sullivan's waiting room. "Hey," Caleb gave Hanna a light squeeze as she walked through the door. "Where have you guys been? Wasn't our appointment at one o'clock?" He asked.

"We've would have been on time if somebody had remembered that we had someplace to be," Aria teased, walking over to Ezra and planting a kiss on his cheek. The girls had been trying to slowly include Ezra into their group. Aria really wanted him to be a part of her life and she had to make the girls and Ezra comfortable around each other or that would never happen.

"Let me guess…Hanna?" Samara giggled after greeting her girlfriend.

"Hey!" Hanna mock-shouted, lightly slapping Samara's bangle-covered wrist.

"Actually, it was two little lovebirds who held us up," Emily smiled as she teasingly waved her finger at the two still in the doorway. Everyone turned their heads to face Spencer and Toby but the couple didn't even notice. They were too caught up in each other's eyes, having one of their silent conversations.

"Eye sex," Hanna snickered.

"What Han?" Spencer didn't turn her head as she asked the question.

"As I said before: get a room!" She laughed, along with the others, and when Spencer mumbled what discreetly sounded like another 'what?' Emily and Samara each grabbed a body and pulled the two apart, Samara grabbing Spencer and Emily taking responsibility of Toby. The two lovers stumbled as they were pulled apart, the only force seemingly keeping them upright was Samara's and Emily's grip on their arms. Finally everyone was ready to walk into Dr. Sullivan's office noting that they were already ten minutes late.

"Take a seat; take a seat," Dr. Sullivan ushered them in once she looked up from her pile of paperwork. "I'm so glad everyone could make it," she smiled.

"Sorry we're late," Spencer spoke up. Dr. Sullivan waved her hand, signaling that it was no big deal, before taking her seat in the angular black chair, situated diagonally from the beige couch. Before she began, she took in the seating arrangement and took a minute to put some of the new faces to the names. Aria and Ezra sat next to one another, but their seemed to be some distance between them. Then came Samara and Emily, tightly holding hands, followed by Spencer sitting in Toby's lap. Caleb and Hanna sat in the beige chair, Caleb's arm around her and Hanna's head resting on his shoulder.

"So, it's nice to meet you- the girls have told me so much about you," Dr. Sullivan began as she greeted Samara, Toby, Caleb, and Ezra. "I'm Dr. Sullivan. After a lot of discussion, we have decided to invite you into the therapy sessions seeing as you are all important in the girls' lives. Now remember, this is a safe place. Nothing you say here goes beyond these walls." Slowly, one by one, each person nodded, nervous for what was about to come. Would this bring them closer or tear them apart? Would they be able to help each other or would the spiral of lies and torture become too much? But there was one thing they were sure of; there was one thing that kept them rooted to their seats and not running out the door. They were safe here; safe to speak freely and safe to break down. They knew that for a fact…If only they had known had very wrong they were.

_**Thanks for reading! Please review:) This really is the calm before the storm so enjoy the fluff while it lasts. Please let me know what you think, if I should continue, and your guesses as to what will happen! Thanks again.**_


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